Supreme Court to rule: Religious rights of corporations and the reproductive ramifications

Lona Middleton
Copy Editor
lkemp@lhup.edu

March 27, 2014

I can think of few things more idiotic than letting corporations claim the same status as organized religions when it comes to health insurance and women’s issues.

In case you haven’t heard, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is being sued by a former employee after being denied certain types of contraceptives. Hobby Lobby is claiming that as a private organization, they can use religious reasons to deny women certain types of contraception.

This, if allowed would be the biggest step backwards for women’s rights in years. Currently, this issue is before the Supreme Court and it is difficult to tell which way it is going to go. If it goes in favor of big business, then women employees and female family members of employees will have control of their bodies and reproductive independence limited by insurance coverage.

They will be forced to pay out of pocket for a service most other companies cover. This is supposed to be a time of progression and forward-thinking. Women had to fight to be allowed to use birth control without the stigma that had long since accompanied it. We control our bodies and that includes our reproductive decisions. Giving corporations the ability to deny women the easy accessibility of certain types of birth control would set us all back generations in women’s rights accomplishments.

All we can honestly do is hope that the Supreme Court, with its female justices has the wisdom to see what a devastating strike against women this decision could be.